The Mysterious Mystic Girl Anhayla
by nirezy
Summary: Anhayla was born into the world without knowing who or where her parents were. She has lived a life alone until she met Prince Zuko. Tempted to annoy the easily angered Zuko, Anhayla decided to stay but soon realized joy with them. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW
1. A Very Breif History of the Mystics

AnDorae (Ahn Door ay) was a mystical being and also a goddess to her tribe known as the Mystics. They were once a strong and powerful tribe but the Hundred-year war has drastically cut into their numbers. The Fire Nation has caused corruption throughout the tribe, many of the members betraying each other for money or the chance to keep their lives. Although no one in the Mystics are benders, they all poses the power to create magic. They honor the goddess as the leader along with select others from the tribe.

The Mystics have very brown skin and are born with their tattoos. (Usually one but the goddesses and their mates have more than one to distinguish themselves from the rest). The tattoos relate to the magic they have. They live as one tribe in the forest, usually in tents. Mystics wear clothes that expose their tattoos (Backless clothes for females, no shirts for men with front or back tattoos. Not all tattoos are on backs but it can be on the arms or lower legs.) They also don't wear shoes. In order to keep the tradition of magic in the tribe, Mystics can only marry other Mystics. Each marriage is arranged and every girl or boy has a similar tattoo to his or her mate. The marrying age is at 18.

The goddesses are always taller than the rest of her tribe to show power and her mate being a little taller. The goddesses' tattoo is always located on the back and usually big enough to cover it. If the goddess is linked to an animal, it's always one from the spirit world. This also allows her to be the only one of the Mystics to enter the Spirit World. In addition to that, black bands are tattooed on the writs, ankles and the neck to show the royal bloodline. They also carry a unique staff, which is used for her power to generate through (each staff modeled after the goddess's power). The mate has a similar tattoo to the one on her back but they don't have the bands. They can only have one child and it will be a girl to continue the line of goddesses.

The goddess AnDorae is tall and has brown skin. She has a long torso, long legs and an hourglass shape. Her eyes are dark green and she has medium length dark brown hair. She has large gold hoop earrings and matching gold bangles on her left arm. On her back is the tattoo of a mystical creature called a panther. (Rather large black cat with huge roar) This allows her to see well at night, almost becoming invisible to others and allows her to climb trees. Her being connected to the mystical panther allows her to create an ice like substance so cold it burns, through her body. Like the rest of her tribe, she can create illusions, turn into the animal she is linked to, (Only Mystics with animals tattooed on them can change into one because not all Mystics are linked to animals. The goddesses usually are) and use magic pertaining to the tattoo on her body.

The Mystics suffered a huge loss when the Fire Nation captured the goddess AnDorae. Led by General Fuu, he and his men slaughtered most of the tribe and convinced other Mystics join them. After conquering the Mystics, they raped and sold some of the Mystic women to the Fire Nation. As a gift for killing the current goddess Anora and her husband Siiad, solider Zhao was given their 18-year-old daughter AnDorae. He brought her back to the Fire Nation and intended to make her his slave but his commanding officer and teacher Jeong Jeong took her away from him when he saw how cruel she was being treated. Unlike Zhao, Jeong Jeong treated her with respect and they soon fell in love. She convinced him to give up his life of torture and fight against the Fire Nation. Although it wasn't easy, Jeong Jeong left his extremely high rank in the Fire Nation Army and worked with AnDorae to help stop the Fire Nation. It was the ultimate treason so there was a ransom set out for the both of them. They spent many years on the run but somehow managed to marry when AnDorae was 22. Although it was wrong for her to marry outside of her tribe, she couldn't deny her love for Jeong Jeong. They had one child, Anhayla. (Since she is not a full blood Mystic, she can't become a full goddess.) About 5 months after having Anhayla, Jeong Jeong was called away to help a small village that was being attacked by the Fire Nation. Jeong Jeong feared for his family's safety so he convinced AnDorae to let him go alone. While he was gone, AnDorae was found by a Fire Nation assassin. She was able to get away long enough to hide baby Anhayla in the woods. Unfortunately, AnDorae was killed. When Jeong Jeong came back to his family, he found his wife's dead body but not his daughter. A Fire Nation rebellion team found Anhayla 2 days later. A group consisting of 3 men and a woman, Chung, Ryu, Lee, and Lisa. For ten years they kept Anhayla safe and taught her fire bending as well as martial arts. Since none of them were Mystics, she was never able to develop her magical skills. She did a little magic here and there but didn't know what she was doing. They could only tell her things that they heard about Mystics. They were a little confused to find a Mystic who could fire bend, so they weren't completely sure if she really was a Mystic. Although they had to fight often to stay alive, they were a peaceful group. Often playing Pai Sho and goofing around with Anhayla when they're in a safe enough place. When Anhayla was 11, 4 Fire Nation bounty hunters ambushed them. They sparred her till the very end so she could watch them kill the people she accepted as her family. Anhayla became so enrage that she blacked out. When she woke up, the men responsible were dead and she once again, left to fend for her self. For the next 4 years, Anhayla wandered around alone. She learned how to cook, sew, and steal. Living alone has caused her have sort of an attitude and left her not wanting to develop a relationship with anyone for fear of losing them. That is until she tried to steal money from a certain banished Prince.


	2. A Meeting of Fate

**Anhayla (15 years old)**

It was nighttime and I had just come back from a failed mission of finding something to eat in the nearby woods. I had no money to buy anything from a village plus was too tired to try and steal. I collapsed on the little bed I made earlier that day.

"Great, going to bed hungry….again." I muttered aloud. I was silent for a minute but the sound of voices caused me to get up. They were a few feet away but I could hear them very well.

"Spread out men. I want this place searched thoroughly before we go back on the ship." I heard a rather young male voice command.

"Zuko, I don't think it's wise to be out here searching around in the dark. Perhaps you should wait till morning when everyone can see." I heard an older male say.

"No, we search now and no one is going back on that ship until I have a full report."

The older man started to yarn, "Well, I'm tired and hungry. I'm going back on the ship. I advise you to do the same." I heard him say. I ran over to get a closer look and saw a young man dressed in Fire Nation uniform. He had a bald head except for the long hair in the middle that was pulled tightly into a ponytail. He also had a scar on his left eye. He turned angrily to the older man as he began walking away.

"Fine, go back on the ship then! This time try not to eat all the food before I get there." He yelled.

The older man simply put his arm up nonchalantly, "No promises." He laughed. A light smile came to my lips, I was about to pounce on the young boy as soon as the older one was out of sight but another person came into the picture.

"Prince Zuko, we don't see anything yet but it is hard trying to look in the dark. Our fire bending can only illuminate so much." The solider said.

"Keep searching for now," he said plainly before sending him off. I almost yelled for joy, he was a prince! That meant he had to have money. I watched for a while as the young prince used his fire bending to search for something. Once I was close enough, I jumped on him, knocking him down. He quickly shot back up, shooting fire in my direction, which I quickly deflected. I charged at him and he expected me to punch him so he shot more fire at me. I slid in between his legs and came up behind him and quickly searched his body; looking for his money sack. Once I got it, I pushed him down; he landed on his face so I laughed a little.

"Thanks." I said. I started to run off but this guy was quicker than I thought. He grabbed my feet and I fell but landed on my hands. I flipped over on my back and kicked him in the face. Once I could no longer feel his grip around my ankle, I propelled my self up and flipped over onto my feet. "You should have stayed down." I said. We rolled around for a few moments before someone separated us. It was the older man I saw earlier. Two soldiers quickly grabbed me and pinned my arms behind my back. The other lit torches so they could what was going on. Once my face was in the light, the young man I fought became enraged.

"What? You were a girl the whole time?" He shouted.

"I'm a girl all the time." I said.

"Zuko, you were fighting a girl? You could have seriously hurt her." The older man said.

"Uncle, she attacked me! Besides I couldn't see that she was a girl."

"Hmmm…. I guess you should have got back on the ship like I advised."

"Whatever Uncle!"

"What do you want us to do with her sir?" one of soldiers asked.

"Bind her and throw her in the ocean." The young prince said.

"Absolutely not." The old man objected. He then walked closer to me. "Young lady, mind if I ask you what you're doing out here so late?"

"Where else am I supposed to be?" I asked sarcastically.

"With your family. Where are they?" he asked.

"I have no family, I have no home. It's just me." I said.

"You poor thing. You must be hungry, am I right?" he asked.

I looked at him puzzled, "Uh…. yes?" I said unsure.

"Well then, you should come back on the ship for a hot meal." He said with a smile.

The younger boy caught an attitude again, "Hell no! That filthy thing isn't setting foot on my ship!" he protested.

"You heard the girl, she's all alone. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I just left her out here to fend for herself."

"She's seems to be doing just fine by herself, obviously." He said pointing to the busted lip I gave him. I smiled a little.

The older man ignored the younger boy and introduced himself. "My name is Iroh and the cranky one behind me is my nephew Zuko. What's your name young lady?"

"Anhayla."

"Anhayla, not a name you hear everyday. Anyway, would you like to come eat with us on the ship? I'm sure Zuko won't mind."

"I would mind!" Zuko shot back.

I thought about it for a second and decided that I was way too hungry to refuse. "Could you please tell these losers to let me go?"

"Of course." He directed his statement to the two soldiers beside me, "You heard the lady." With that, I was released. Iroh then held out his hand, "Right this way young lady."

I grabbed his hand and he led me off towards a path that led to big ship. Zuko fumed behind us. Once we were on the ship, we went below deck and into a room filled with food. My stomach growled at the sight of it. Before Iroh could turn around and invite me to sit down, I was seated at the head of the table about to dig in.

"You don't waste time do you?" Iroh laughed.

"That's my seat!" Zuko yelled.

"Don't be rude Zuko, just sit somewhere else. It is a rather large table."

They both sat down and watched shocked and probably amazed at how much food I stuffed down my throat. My hands moved everywhere, grabbing anything that looked good to me. I would have eaten the table it weren't edible. Once finished, I bleached loudly and leaned back on my arms. I then noticed them staring.

"Uh, what are you staring at?" I asked.

"When was the last time you ate?" Iroh asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, "2 days ago I guess."

"I don't think I've ever seen a girl eat like that. You were a pig." Zuko said.

"And now I'm a full pig." I said standing up. "Thank you very much Iroh for the food."

Iroh stood as well. "You can't leave now. You should stay with us, you said yourself that you were alone. Perhaps you should travel with us."

"No, no, no! That's where I draw the line Uncle. You don't know anything about this girl and now you're inviting her to travel with us?" Zuko asks angrily.

I laughed out loud, "Man, if it makes you this angry then maybe I will stay."

"Get off my ship!" he shouted.

"I'd love to stay Iroh." I said. His face quickly lightened as he motioned for me to follow him. As we walked out Zuko shot out some fire in annoyance. He showed me to a spare bedroom.

"It's not much but I'm sure it'll be comfortable. Also, if you'd like to take a bath, the bathroom is down the hall. We don't have any female clothes but I'm sure I can find you a clean pair of pants and a shirt."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked a little upset.

"I'm not trying to deceive you if that's what you're thinking. I am merely helping you." He said sincerely.

"Last people that tried to help me ended up dead." I said bluntly. I turned away from him, "Are you sure you want to help me now?"

"I'm sure" he said, completely ignoring what I said.

I turned to face him and caught him staring once again but this time he looked as though he was trying to figure something out.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing." He said and then yawned. "Well, I'm heading off to bed. I'll see you in the morning." With that said, he walked out of the room. I peered out into the hallway when I didn't hear his footsteps anymore. It was long and not very wide. I went in search of the bathroom and decided to take a bath. It had been at least a week since my last one. I stayed in the tub for as long as I could. Once the water started to get cold, I blew steam from my mouth to heat it up again. I was in heaven. I wrapped my self in a towel I found hanging on the rack and then stood in front of the mirror. My wet black hung down in front of me. I gently pushed it aside to stare at my face. it was very brown and for once, very clean. My grey eyes sparkled for some reason. After being in the bathroom for what seemed like forever, I walked back to my room and found the pants and shirt that Iroh left for me. They were a little loose but I didn't really expect it to fit me well. The pants were black and the shirt was a burgundy button up. I laid down on the bed and instantly fell asleep.


	3. What Are You Looking For

**Chapter 3: What Are You Searching For?**

I was awakened to the sound of walking outside my door. I sat up and stretched before walking out. I felt a yawn coming as I exited my room so I closed my eyes. When I opened them, I almost walked into Zuko.

"Watch where you're going." He said walking by.

"I guess someone didn't sleep well." I smirked. I guessed he just tuned me out because he kept walking towards the stairs that led to the deck. I followed behind but a good distance behind him. As I walked up on the deck, the sunlight was blinding so I tried to shield my eyes. Once my eyes adjusted, I saw Iroh looking over the edge of the ship. He looked up at me.

"Good morning Anhayla. Did you sleep well?" He asked.

"Actually, I did." I said, almost not believing it.

"Good, good." He said turning his attention back to the other side of the ship. Curious as to what he was looking at, I stood beside him and looked over with him. I sighed when I just saw Zuko ordering around his soldiers.

"Spread out men. You have absolutely no reason to fail this time since the sun is out!" he shouted.

"Is he always this cranky or only when he's forced to have someone who kicked his ass on his ship? I asked.

Iroh laughed, "Oh don't worry about him. That's actually him in a good mood."

"So what is the grinch looking for, his heart?"

"No, he's looking for the Avatar."

My eyes widened, the Avatar? "Whoa, good luck with that. Didn't he die a long time ago or something?" I asked.

"That's what some people think but honestly, if he did I'm pretty sure he would've showed up in the Water Tribe. Since he didn't, I would guess he's still alive…somewhere…." He trailed off. I looked off to see Zuko entering the woods a few yards away. Once again, I felt Iroh staring at me. I didn't face him this time,

"You're staring again." I said.

"Oh, I'm sorry really I am, it's just that you look so… familiar for some reason. I can't put my finger on it and it's driving me a little crazy."

"I don't think we've ever met before." I said facing him.

"I know we haven't. It's just that you look like someone I've seen before. You must forgive me, I'm getting older and my memory isn't what it used to be."

"It's ok, I'm sure you'll remember." I said.

It was a couple of hours before Zuko came back angrier than when he had left. Iroh and I were engaged in a game of Pai Sho when he came stomping towards us.

"So I take it that you didn't find him?" Iroh asked, not taking his eyes away from the game.

"This is getting ridiculous! How can he be that good at hiding?" Zuko asked frustrated.

"Maybe you're not looking hard enough." I joked.

"Come now Anhayla, that wasn't nice. This is very important to him." Iroh said.

"So, why exactly are you looking for him?" I asked, making my move in the game.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"Because I need to know something. Are you trying to find him so you can ask him for his help in ending this war?" I asked.

"And if I was?" he asked.

"Then I'd help you." I said. I closed my eyes a little. Nothing would make me happier than to end this war. It's brought me so much pain. But can I really trust these people? Not only are they Fire Nation, they're the Fire Lord's son and brother. If I really want to end this war, I should get rid of them both.

"HELLO!" Zuko yelled.

I snapped out of my thoughts, to see Iroh staring at me and Zuko even more frustrated. "WHAT?" I yelled back.

"So are you going to help me or not?" he asked.

"Fine, whatever it takes to get you to shut up. Can't you see we're playing a game here?" I said.

"Yeah and it's your move Anhayla." Iroh said. I guess that's why he was staring at me.

Zuko stormed off, "Great, now there's one more person to drive me up the damn wall!"

I laughed a little before moving one of my tiles, " So is that still him in a good mood?"

"No, that's definitely his bad mood." Iroh said making his last move and ending the game.

I frowned, "Now I'm in a bad mood. That's the 6th time you've won." I pouted.

"Yes but you're getting better with every play. Would you care to play again?" he smiled.

"I'd rather eat, I'm starving." I said rubbing my stomach.

"Of course, I guess we're due for something to eat.


	4. You're A Mystic

_**Hello, i just figured out how to leave a little message because I'm very new to this. I had to change the rating to M... idk, i just wanted to be safe about it. Also, it's going to be a while until i start bringing in the other characters (meaning Aang, Katara, Sokka, etc) because this is taking place a year before Zuko found the Avatar. **_

* * *

**Chapter 3: You're a Mystic**

We had set sail a few hours ago and after a while, I've haven't been staring at anything but ocean. It was beautiful, staring at the crystal blue water as the sun sparkled off of it. Zuko and I were the only ones on deck but we weren't standing together. Except for the gushing wind, it was peacefully quite, that is until Iroh cam up on deck.

"I knew I would figure it out sooner or later!" he said excitedly walking towards me.

Zuko perked his head and started walking over, 'What is it uncle? Have you found news on the Avatar's whereabouts?" He asked.

"No, but I have solved my little dilemma." He said and then turned to me. "My dear, has anyone ever told you that you resemble the goddess Anora?'

"No." I started, "Who is that?"

"Lovely woman, she was the leader of the Mystics." Iroh said.

"What's a Mystic?" Zuko asked.

"The Mystics were once a strong tribe of uniquely skilled individuals. They were mystical…hence the name Mystics!" he laughed. "Clever huh?"

Neither of us laughed so Iroh cleared his throat before continuing, "Anyway, are you a Mystic Anhayla?"

I knew that question all too well. "I don't know. My family use to tell me that I looked like them but there was no way that I could be one." I said looking away. Just the mention of my family caused me to pain. They were such good people.

"I thought you said you didn't have any family." Zuko said. I ignored him though.

"But you look like one. You have the trademark brown skin, the long hair, but I've never seen a Mystic with grey eyes before." He said.

"Yes, that's what they said but I just can't be a Mystic." I said.

"Why not?" Iroh asked. I thought it be better to show him so I stepped forward a little and shot out a burst of indigo fire. Both of their eyes suddenly widened.

"So what does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"Well, Mystics aren't supposed to be benders. They're magical beings and they possess a power that goes a little deeper than just controlling the elements." He said then paused for a moment. "Do you have a tattoo?"

"…Yes."

"Well, every Mystic has a tattoo. You must know a little magic, right?" he asked.

"I don't know anything about the Mystics." I said sadly. "And they're not around anymore so I can't be taught."

"They can't be all gone. Mystics are great at surviving during harsh times and besides I know a little something about the Mystics. I did have a chance to study their goddess Anora." Iroh said.

"You would teach me?" I asked, hopeful.

"Sure, although I'm no substitute for a real Mystic master, I should be able to teach you something.

"Yeah, that all sounds good." Zuko started out. "Why do you have indigo fire?"

"Heck if I know, it's always been that color." I said

Iroh's face suddenly darkened a little and I couldn't tell why. He turned his attention to me. "You've never seen a Mystic before have you?" he asked.

"No."

"How is that? Aren't your parents supposed to one?" Zuko asked.

"The people who practically raised me weren't' my parents. They were just…. Just, I don't know. They took care of me and that was fine enough for me." I said. I looked down and closed my eyes. Ever since they were murdered I tried to never think of them. Chung, Ryu, Lee, and Lisa, I missed them all so much that I couldn't bear to hang on to their memories. So I tried to let them go.

Just then I felt a hand on my shoulder, "Perhaps you should rest Anhayla. You don't look well."

I opened my eyes to see a very concerned Iroh. I shook my head yes, "You're right, I don't feel well. I'm going to go lay down." I said walking towards the stairs that would lead be below. Once I was out there sight and in my room, I dropped to me knees. I actually felt sick to my stomach. Out of everything I've been through with my family, the only thing I can remember is them being slaughtered in front of me. I grabbed the bucket beside the bed and threw up. I felt body temperature starting to rise; I was getting angry; angrier than I ever remember being. I just closed my eyes and cried silently on the floor; trying to put those long forgotten memories of my family back in the deepest part of my mind.

Iroh's POV

I probably shouldn't have asked her about whether or not she'd ever seen a Mystic before. That's probably too touchy of a subject. Poor girl probably doesn't even who they are. I'm not surprised, so my people abused many of the Mystic women. There must be a lot of Mystic and Fire Nation mixed children out there.

"I wonder what that was all about." Zuko said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Zuko, she probably doesn't know who her parents are. The Mystics have never been the same since the war started and many years ago things just got worse and worse. No one really sees the Mystics anymore." I explained.

"Why not, what exactly happened to them?" Zuko asked.

"What do you think happened to them prince Zuko?" I asked.

"Oh…. yeah." he said and walked away. I sat down with my legs crossed in front of me. The Fire Nation has done so much damage to so many people. And to think, I use to serve them blindly. How could I have been so foolish? Even though I never hurt the Mystic people myself, some my men under my command in the army probably had their share of Mystic women. It was probably because of my life of hatred that I lost the most important person in my life. No, I shouldn't think like that. Everything happens for a reason and it is better now that I changed my ways to have never done it all. I just hope I can help change Zuko into the man I am and not the man I was.

Zuko's POV

It was getting dark outside and I hadn't heard of word out of Anhayla. What was she doing in that room? My curiosity got the best of me so around dinnertime; I went to check on her. I opened the door to her room and found her lying on her back on the floor. I stepped in.

"Don't you know how to knock?" she asked.

"I don't have to knock on a door that belongs to me. This is my ship." I said.

"Get over yourself." She said sitting up and facing me. "Just because you're a prince doesn't mean you own everything." She said. She sounded pretty upset but I don't why. I didn't do anything to her.

"You're right, I am a prince and that means you should show me some respect." I demanded.

"Should I bow and kiss your feet Prince Zuko?" She asked sarcastically.

"You sure have a loose mouth to be a nobody." I said. As soon as I said that, her expression changed from annoyed to slightly hurt. She laid back down so she wouldn't have to look at me. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." I said lightly.

"Whatever." she sighed.

"Uh, I came here to tell you that dinner would be ready soon so you should get to the table. Uncle eats as much as you so you might want to beat him to a plate." I said, almost at an attempt to get her to laugh. It didn't work because she remained silent. I stood there in awkward silence for a while. I turned to leave.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at dinner then." I said beginning to walk out but then something caught my eye. On the small table next to the bed was a small pouch, a pouch that looked very familiar. I walked over and picked it up and sure enough, it was my money.

"You stole my money!" I shouted.

Anhayla sat up and smiled at me, "Duh, why else would I have attacked you? I wasn't doing it for fun." She said.

"So that's why you…" I trailed off trying to think of a way to put it. During our little scuffle, I felt her hands go places I thought were weird. She did it so fast that I thought I imagined it.

"No Zuko, I was trying to cop a feel." She smirked.

"What?" I asked dumbfounded.

She got up and brushed herself off and walked beside me, "It was a joke…" she said walking past, so I turned to face her. "Although, money wasn't the only thing I found. You must really work out." She said before completely exiting the room.


	5. Show Me What You Can Do

**Chapter 5: Show Me What You Can Do**

We sat at the dinner table, Iroh and I deep in conversation. Zuko seemed a little embarrassed about what I had said to him before about him working out. I smiled to myself a little, maybe I should tell him I was still joking.

"So Mystics can create some sort of magical barrier?" I asked amused.

"Yes, I've seen it done before. Although I'm not sure on how it comes about but the goddess Anora use to tell me, "It's all in the mind." Iroh said pointing to his head.

"Uh, ok." I said unsure. I started to look around the room for something I could put a barrier around so I figured I'd use the table. I held out my hand and started to think about how I wanted so see a barrier around the table. To my surprise, a thin black line encased the entire table in a 3d box. My eyes widened. "Oh my, did you guys see that?" I asked.

"See what? There's nothing to see." Zuko said.

"But there is something there. Look." I said. Both Iroh and Zuko looked around but shrugged their shoulders.

"I think maybe this whole "magic" crap doesn't exist." Zuko said with his arms folded.

I rolled my eyes, "Try and get something off the table." I said.

He rolled his eyes too before sticking his hand out only to have it stop by some invisible force. He tried again but his hand kept stopping once it tried to get over the table. He looked at me with wide eyes and I smiled, which made him angry because it meant I was right. He balled up his fist and tried to punch as hard as he could.

"OW!" he screamed. I smacked the back of his head, "Hey what was that for." He said using his other hand to nurse the back of his now stinging head.

"To take your mind of your hand." I smirked.

"That is incredible Anhayla. You got it on your first try." Iroh applauded.

"Yay, good for you." Zuko started off sarcastically. "How come we can't see this barrier?"

"I think us "normal" folk aren't supposed to see it. That way Mystics can use this technique to stall their enemies and protect themselves." Iroh pointed out.

"So how do you get rid of it? I want my drink back." Zuko asked.

I thought about it for a minute then raised my hand back to the table. If I had to think the barrier into existence, maybe I had to think it away. The barrier than disappeared and I picked up Zuko's drink and handed it to him. I smiled very widely, "So what else do you know about the Mystics Iroh?" I asked.

"Uh…let's see." He started out scratching his chin. "Oh, Mystics can create illusions."

"Wow, I don't know if I can do that though." I said.

"You never know unless you try." Iroh started. "But, I think we should call it a night and try in the morning."

I was about to object but as if right on cue, I yawned. "I guess you're right Iroh."

We all exited the dinning room and went to our separate rooms. I laid down on my bed and started to think. My mind wandered back to a couple of hours ago and how I was feeling. Once I was calm enough, I drifted off into sleep and had a dream that I hadn't had in a long time. I was 11 again and playing in the lake by our campsite. Lisa had told me to run ahead and she and Ryu would catch up later. But they were taking too long so I ran back to see what they were doing. Then I saw them, 4 scary looking men hurting Ryu, Lisa, Chung, and Lee.

"Where is she?" I heard one of them shout to Lisa.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She spat out, blood streaming down her chin.

"Don't lie traitor! There are 5 mats here, meaning that somebody isn't here with us right now! You tell me where that other bitch is right now!" he continued to yell.

Lisa spat blood in his face. The man got angry and used his fire bending to burn half of her face off.

My eyes shot open and I sat up, my breathing hard. I pulled at my hair. "Get out of there." I thought to myself. How could the Fire Nation do such a horrible thing to child and her family? How can I travel with these people, knowing they're associated with such monsters? They are the monsters, probably the most evil of them all being related to the Fire Lord. But Iroh…he's so nice and loving. I couldn't hurt him and Zuko…he's. …he's … I'm not sure what he is. I'm so confused, what would my family want me to do about this? They always stood for justice and helping rid the world of the Fire Nation soldiers who attacked the weak, the poor, and the innocent. But I can't attack Iroh and Zuko; I haven't seen them attack any innocent people. And if it's one thing that my family taught me, it's to never attack someone based on where they come from.

* * *

For the next 4 days, I had been trying desperately to create the illusions Iroh told me about. It wasn't going so well and I was getting frustrated. Iroh and I were on the deck and as usual, Zuko interrupted.

"I need the deck for practice." Zuko said walking towards me.

"Busy." I said plainly, trying not to break my concentration. I was sitting with my legs crossed and my eyes closed.

"Well to me, it just looks like your sitting on your ass!" He shouted.

"That's because you're an idiot!" I shouted back, looking at him.

"You broke your concentration." Iroh said before taking a sip of his tea.

I threw my hands up in frustration, "Thanks a lot Zuko." I said, getting up. "Use the stupid deck for your training. Not that it'll do you any good because I bet I will still be able to kick your ass!"

I sat next to Iroh and faced Zuko, who was still staring daggers at me. I smiled, "Well? Are you going to get started?"

He sighed in annoyance and called two gauds to come spar with him. He took off his shirt and began his training. I watched as he moved around the two men, easily evading their attacks. But it seemed that he was going about it all wrong. He looked so angry…well, angrier than usual. After about 20 minutes, they stopped.

"Uncle. What did you think?" Zuko asked, taking a towel from another soldier.

"Good, good," he said, not looking up from his game.

"You weren't watching were you?" he shouted.

"No, I wasn't." he said calmly, still not looking up.

"I was." I said. "And you did ok, I guess."

"You guess?"

"I guess."

"I'd like to see you do a better job then!"

"Oh, is that a challenge?" I said, getting up.

"Yeah, it is."

I smirked at him, "Well I hope it goes better than last time. Your lip just healed." I said.

"You attacked me in the dark. That's not a fair victory!" he growled.

I walked over to him and got in a fighting stance. The two other soldiers Zuko was fighting with backed away. Iroh looked up from his game. Zuko made the first move, sending a fist full of fire in my direction. I dodged it easily. I sent some of my own fire towards him, my indigo flames dancing around him as he deflected it. We fought around for a little while, not really making physical contact. I was clearly winning but things took a turn for the worse when my attention went to the conversation that was happening off to the side.

"If it looks like a Mystic, then it is a Mystic." One soldier said.

"OK, I'm convinced. Maybe we should see if those rumors about Mystic women are true. Pay her a little visit tonight if Zuko hasn't beaten us to her." The other said.

I turned my head to get a look at them but stopped when I saw fire coming out the corner of my eye. It was already to late to deflect so I had no choice but to raise my arm and let it get burned. I screamed in pain as I fell to the floor. Iroh jumped up and ran to my side and Zuko looked down at me with sheer horror in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he shouted.

"Ow! You burned me!" I said holding up my badly burned arm and tossing from side to side.

"Zuko, what where you thinking?" Iroh scolded. "Fetch the medical examiner now!" he shouted to a nearby soldier.

"I thought she was going to deflect it! It all happened so fast. By time the flames left my fist, she turned her head." Zuko said panicked. "Anhayla, I'm so sorry! Please don't cry."

More tears rolled down my face but I had stopped screaming. I took in deep breaths and soon I felt just fine. It got real quite, Iroh let go of my other hand and Zuko stopped repeating, "I'm sorry." I sat up, using my once burned arm. The medical examiner walked up to us and knelt down next to me.

"Uh, what exactly am I supposed to be looking at here? There's no burn on this girl." He said.

"Uh, my mistake Jing." Iroh said.

"What just happened? What happened to my burn?" I asked, staring at my now unburned arm.

"Sometimes Mystics have healing abilities but I thought only the…." He trailed off.

"What?" Zuko and I asked.

"Never mind. Some Mystics can heal themselves that's all." Iroh said helping me up.

"Wow." I said dusting my self off. I turned to Zuko who still looked confused. "So, you want to get finished or not?" I said getting into another fighting stance.

"Hell no! I'm not fighting with you ever again! You scared me half to death!" he screamed.

"Oh it was just a little burn." I said, acting like wasn't a big deal anymore.

"Are you crazy? My ears are still ringing with your screams." He said.

"So next time, I won't scream so loud." I said.

"You're crazy!" he said walking away.

I laughed and followed him around the deck, pleading with him to continue our fight. He covered his ears and ran away from me, all the while screaming, "You're crazy!"


End file.
